Private equity firm Pine Island New Energy Partners (PINEP) has teamed up with nuclear fusion company Type One Energy to strengthen the fusion energy supply chain as the sector takes steps toward commercialization.

In a Feb. 13 news release, Tennessee-based Type One Energy said it will work with PINEP as an advisory institutional operating partner to find companies with the technology and expertise needed to help grow the market. These include areas such as manufacturing high-temperature superconductors, providing advanced materials and performing precision manufacturing. PINEP can provide capital and management assistance needed to enable supply chain companies to help grow the industry, the release states.

“Our strategy focuses on growth-stage supply chain companies that produce critical technologies serving both fusion and the broader electrification markets,” said Chris Good, managing partner at Pine Island New Energy Partners. “By working with Type One Energy’s technical team, we can better evaluate and support companies that will be crucial to this transformative industry.”

Type One Energy recently partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to develop and evaluate a fusion power plant project in the Tennessee Valley region. Plans are for TVA to build and operate the facility using Type One Energy’s stellarator fusion power technology.

“To bring fusion energy to the global energy markets, we need to cultivate an efficient, reliable, and innovative world-wide supply chain,” said Chris Mowry, CEO of Type One Energy. “By partnering with PINEP, we can combine our fusion industry knowledge with their expertise to address this challenge in a more practical way.”